US Senator Warns Asean

United States Senator Mitch McConnell has encouraged Asean members to deny chairmanship of the regional grouping to Burma in 2006. In a statement released Tuesday, the Senate Majority Whip U.S. Republican Senator for Kentucky also praised the critical stance taken by several countries such as the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia.

McConnell slammed Burma’s military junta and questioned the signals its proposed leadership of Asean would send out. “Given the illegitimate State Peace Development Council’s (SPDC) abhorrent democracy and human rights record, which includes the use of rape as a weapon of war, Burma’s chairmanship would be a tremendous loss of face to that association and region,” he said.

He also accused Thailand of lending unequivocal support to the regime in Rangoon, calling the country “out of step with the region and other world democracies” before going on to call for a boycott of Asean meetings and events by the U.S., the EU and “the community of democracies” should Burma assume the leadership in 2006. “To do anything less”, he said “would betray the nonviolent struggle for freedom that Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy and the ethnic minorities have waged for over a decade.”

The current member states of Asean are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.